Hoax Bomb Threats Disrupt European Flights

Six flights across Europe were disrupted after bomb threats prompted aircraft inspections, emergency landings or diversions in Poland, Spain, Italy and Bulgaria. In Warsaw, two flights were subject to threats. A LOT Boeing 737 MAX carrying 181 people from London Heathrow to Warsaw Chopin Airport was diverted to Warsaw-Modlin, where specialists inspected it after an unscheduled landing. Modlin airport temporarily closed and later resumed operations. A separate SAS flight from Copenhagen landed at Chopin as scheduled; Polish authorities said its threat was not confirmed. It was unclear whether the two Warsaw incidents were connected. In Rome, two Ryanair flights arriving from Lisbon and Dublin were searched at Fiumicino Airport following anonymous tips. The Dublin flight was escorted by the Italian Air Force. Inspections of passengers, luggage and aircraft found no threat, and the alert was cleared. A Ryanair flight from Manchester made an emergency landing at Murcia airport in Spain after a threat. The regional government’s delegate said 121 people, including crew, were aboard. In Bulgaria, a flight from Israel landed at Sofia airport after a bomb threat was sent by email. Counter-terrorism units checked the plane for possible explosive devices. The incidents followed a similar event the previous day, when a Wizz Air flight from London Luton made an emergency landing in Budapest after a bomb threat and was escorted by a Hungarian fighter jet. The article reports the disruptions and authorities’ responses, while noting that the Warsaw threats’ possible connection had not been established.

Warsaw-Modlin Airport resumed operations around midday Tuesday after a passenger aircraft arriving from London made an unscheduled landing following a reported bomb threat. The airport said the aircraft was being examined by the relevant authorities and that passengers and crew were waiting in the arrivals hall for further instructions. Polish airline LOT confirmed that the aircraft at Modlin was one of its flights. A separate bomb threat was reported on an SAS flight from Copenhagen to Warsaw. The plane landed at Warsaw-Chopin Airport, where it was checked; the airport said operations continued. SAS reported that the aircraft landed safely and passengers had disembarked. Polish authorities said the threat was not confirmed. Officials had not established whether the two threats were connected. Warsaw has two airports: Chopin is within the city, while Modlin, used mainly by budget airlines, is about 36 kilometres from the capital. Separately, a plane arriving from Israel landed at Sofia Airport in Bulgaria after a bomb threat was sent by email. Counterterrorism units were checking the aircraft for possible explosives, according to Bulgaria’s BTA news agency, which cited Interior Ministry Secretary General Lyubomir Nikolov. The article also notes that a Wizz Air flight from London to Sofia was diverted to Budapest on Monday after a bomb threat, according to Hungarian Defence Minister Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi. The report describes several threat-related flight disruptions in the region, while noting that the Warsaw threats had not been confirmed.

Several flights bound for European airports received bomb threats on Tuesday, prompting emergency inspections, diversions and temporary disruption. Polish authorities said two passenger planes were checked after threats but no explosives were found. A LOT flight from London Heathrow made an unscheduled landing at Warsaw-Modlin airport, which temporarily closed while passengers were evacuated and the aircraft inspected. The airport later reopened and resumed normal operations. A SAS flight from Copenhagen landed safely at Warsaw Chopin airport and was also inspected; no explosives were found on either aircraft. Authorities had not established whether the threats were connected. A Ryanair flight traveling from Manchester to Murcia, Spain, also received a threat. It landed safely, and police ruled out explosives after passengers had disembarked. Separately, a flight from Israel landed in Sofia, Bulgaria, following a bomb threat sent by email. Bulgarian counter-terrorism units were checking the aircraft, according to reporting cited by the article. Italian media reported two further threats against Ryanair flights from Lisbon and Dublin to Rome’s Fiumicino airport. Air Force jets were deployed, but both alerts proved false. Together, the article describes six threats on Tuesday. They followed a Wizz Air flight from London to Sofia that was diverted to Budapest on Monday after a mid-air threat. The report notes that similar incidents have occurred at European airports in recent weeks, with alerts subsequently found to be false.

At least four passenger flights in Europe received suspected bomb threats on Tuesday, leading to emergency procedures and inspections in Poland, Spain and Bulgaria. All four aircraft landed safely, and authorities reported no confirmed explosives in the incidents described. Police and counter-terrorism teams were deployed, while passengers were evacuated or screened as needed. Two flights were affected in Poland. A LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 737 MAX travelling from London Heathrow to Warsaw Chopin Airport was diverted to Warsaw-Modlin after an alert at 9:54 a.m. local time. It landed seven minutes later with 181 people aboard, including 16- and 17-year-old Jewish students on a school delegation. Passengers were evacuated and the plane inspected in an isolated area. Modlin Airport temporarily closed, then resumed operations. A Scandinavian Airlines flight from Copenhagen landed normally at Warsaw Chopin Airport after a separate threat; police investigated while airport operations continued. In Spain, a Ryanair flight from Manchester made an emergency landing in Murcia. It carried 121 people, including crew, according to the Spanish government’s regional delegate. In Bulgaria, a flight from Israel landed at Sofia after an emailed threat. Counter-terrorism units checked for possible explosives. Local reporting indicated an El Al service from Tel Aviv was the only flight arriving from Israel that morning, and Bulgarian public broadcaster BNT said the warning also affected various institutions. The alerts followed a Monday threat against a Wizz Air flight from London Luton to Sofia, which diverted to Budapest under escort by a Hungarian Gripen fighter jet. Wizz Air said checks found nothing suspicious. The article also notes similar recent warnings involving flights connected with Israel, including an Austrian Airlines diversion and two Delta Air Lines flights in October. Authorities had not established whether Tuesday’s threats were connected and treated each as a separate security matter.